Tsuyoi Hime
by Nera Zenn
Summary: CU. Run down and mission worn, Sakura wants nothing more than to relax, but when Tsunade has a mission for her that leaves her as a stand in for a feudal princess, how will she handle the assassination attempts? And who brought the mutt along? KibaxSakura
1. Chapter One

__**A/N:** So here is the first chapter to my first story on Fanfiction. Any criticism and helpful hints that you guys could give me would be great. I came up with the title seeing as Sakura has a canny ability with her strength and the Japanese word for Strength is Tsuyoi. Hime is an honorific and also the word for Princess and thus the title came to be Strong Princess. I think It fits wells. Ultimately this will have romance and adventure, though it might take a bit for it to start up. I'm currently editing all the chapters that are posted here, seeing as I took a very long Hiatus from FF and I'll be back to posting chapters very soon. Plus, I have tones of new story ideas that I want to try out. Rate and Review !

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_Tsuyoi Hime  
_  
**Chapter One: Enter Sakura**

For the third time that night he killed Sakura.

That, perhaps, was too active a description; rather, he failed to save her.

He had become accustomed to saving her.

Naruto had unwrapped himself from the sheets that had covered his body, shroud like, in attempt to escape the suffocating feeling that was running through his core. Shifting his head so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, the male had run his hand through his hand, spiky golden locks going in every wayward direction. His bare chest was exposed to the nightly air that had entered his room through the open window above his beside, sun kissed skin dancing with waves of goose flesh as a shiver had slithered through his form.

He needed to get a hold of himself, heart beat ringing in his ears, pulse increasing. It was just a dream, but the look in her cold, emotionless jade orbs had unnerved him. Naruto Uzumaki was someone who had rarely backed down from a fight, but the one that had just commenced in his dream had scared him.

Shitless.

It was not like he had not come to the woman's aid in time. He always had. It was something that he had come accustomed to, though she was by no means weak. Sakura Haruno had more power in one pinky then he had in one punch. It was just the fact that the cherry blossom seemed to get herself in more trouble then she could handle sometimes, but he had always been close by to come to her rescue just as things seemed to be looking down.

Tonight, however, he was not so lucky.

She had died in his nightmare, a cruel and harsh death that was meant for no one. And where was he? When she had been screaming in agony where was he? Enjoying himself in the village apparently. Suddenly, the room seemed too stuffy for him to handle, his stomach giving an uneasy flop.

He needed out.

Escaping the bedroom, the male had journeyed through the empty apartment, finding himself in the kitchen within a matter of seconds. There was a coating in his mouth, thick and dry, making it hard to breath let along speak. Taking a cup out of his cabinet, the male had filled it with water from the faucet, drinking greedily at the liquid until there was a slight dribble that had escaped his lips and ran down the length of his chin. When he was finished, the blond had tossed he cup in the sink and took a step back so he could breath.

Everyone's favorite medical ninja and kick ass kunoichi had gotten back from her mission late tonight, to which he had thought that the nightmares would cease, but it seemed his conscious thought otherwise. Crystalline orbs had looked towards the clock on the back wall, taking note that it was five in the morning. Two hours since he had his last fit of unsettling thoughts.

Naruto was going to go visit Sakura tomorrow morning. Maybe talking to her would just settle his unraveling nerves. Sighing heavily and scratching the back of his head, the Kyuubi host had traveled back to his bedroom in hopes of getting some sleep.

- **M** -

Tangled, coral curls lay strewn across an ivory pillowcase. The girl that lay in the bed seemed peaceful. She was laying on her side, her tanned skin only peeking out on her face and the one arm that lay over the comforter.

Her long lashes barely brushed her cheeks, and her pale pink lips were slightly twisted into a small smile. She was very beautiful, this girl. And not just her looks held beauty, her very presence; as well did her smile hold the aura of light that she always carried with her, even when the girl herself didn't feel as happy as she always exuded.

Of course, there was a rare moment that she was truly happy anymore. Though, this was all a mask. Her true self was someone who was sadistic and worn, rigid and tired of life. Her life had been turned into some topsy-turvy circus that she couldn't escape from, and it was a life that she had to at least take. She knew it could be worse. Of course, it could be better as well. The female was dreaming of the days, the good old days where she had run around with her two best friends; one a brooding fighter, the other a knucklehead. They had saved lives, while she would heal them.

Two fighters and one medic.

The medic was left alone however, for the two had left her to gain more power.

She was left all alone to fend for herself.

A loud knocking noise had broken though her dreams, rousing her into the conscious world, slowly. Pink brows had furrowed slightly, the female rolled her head to burry herself deep into the depths of her pillows in attempt to escape the noise, but it was to no avail. More knocking had brought her to a state of semi-awareness, followed by a voice had had echoed through her apartment.

Literally rolling out of bed, Sakura had wandered towards the stairs dressed in nothing but her breast bindings, which she was way too exhausted to change out of the night before, and a pair of flannel shorts. Running both hands through her thick rosette locks, the lithe woman had arrived at her front door, opening it with one hand while rubbing her still glazed over emerald hues. The sight that had greeted her was something she was not expecting.

What the hell was Naruto doing on her front doorstep this _early_?

The blond male had begun to speak in rapid succession, words that had just gone through one ear and out the other. Not minding that he was witnessing her in a very clad manner, jade irises had looked towards the clock that had hung on the wall just above the door, the small hand resting on the eight and the large resting on the three. It was eight fifteen in the morning and he was already bothering her with his mindless banter? This was sheerly unnecessary. So, she had done what any best friend would have done.

Sakura proceeded to slam the door in his face.

Turning on her heel, the pink haired medical ninja had shuffled slowly towards the kitchen, attempting to drown out the banging noises that were coming from her door as fist collided with wood. Serves the bastard right. She had hardly gotten any sleep and here the knuckle head was, waking her up bright an early when the only thing she wanted to do was remain tangled within her sheets all afternoon.

There was a loud splintering noise, followed by an 'opps', the petite medic-nin just rolling her eyes before Naruto had strolled into her kitchen, a bit sheepishly.

"Break the door again?" She had questioned in a very calm tone, digging through the refrigerator in search of something to eat.

The blonde had just released a shaky bit of laughter, admitting to the crime that he had just committed. "Gomen, Sakura-chan." Here he was expecting a smack across the face, maybe some screaming, or at least a glare, but all he had received was a sigh and the woman pinching the bridge of her nose while shaking her head.

Sakura was too exhausted to kick the living daylights out of her teammate at the moment; she would do it later, most likely after a very long nap.

"What am I going to do with you?" She had asked rhetorically and surprisingly Naruto seemed to catch the gist of that statement and kept his usually loud mouth shut.

"Breakfast?" The word had just rolled off her tongue and the Bijuu was already sitting at her table with an excited look upon his face and a glint in his cobalt eyes. Seriously, whatever was she going to do with him?

Taking out the carton of eggs, as well as the cheese and gallon of milk, the pinkette had closed the refrigerator with her foot, putting her ingredients on the counter. She was running low on groceries since she had been gone most of the week, which meant that she had to do something productive today. Giving Naruto a glance out of the corner of her eye, Sakura had schemed that maybe she could guilt him into going shopping for her, but quickly shot that idea down for she would most likely have cabinets filled with instant ramen if she trusted him with her food shopping.

Well, if she was going to cook breakfast for him, then he was going to escort her on her shopping this afternoon and that was final.

"Oi, Sakura-chan. How was the solo-mission?" The raspy monotone voice of the male behind her had broken her train of thought. There was something in his tone that had seemed off for the usually hyperactive ninja, almost like he was hesitant to ask.

Currently whisking cracked eggs in a bowl, the rosette haired woman had turned towards her friend, a pink brow quirked slightly. "It was…fine?" She had stated, almost questioned, curious as to his sudden interest and change of tone. Her head cocked slightly to the side, eyes glancing at him with a sort of worried expression, though he seemed completely content with her answer. The blond had grinned ear to ear then, that same goofy, childish smile that she had come to know and love.

"Good to hear," He hummed happily. "I bet you showed them a meaning or two about strength." He joked with a wide wolfish grin.

Usually if she had gotten hurt on an assignment, she made it known by complaining to him about the pain. If she had not complained by now, then she was completely healthy which had sat well with him. The cherry blossom had finished up cooking their omelets while Naruto played idly with the fork that was on the table, each commenting on rumors that were going around in the village. Ino and Choji had seemingly come out of hiding and were now dating publicly, while Shino had become officially inducted as the Aburame Clan head. Separately, neither would be caught worrying about mindless chatter that they had heard through the grapevine, however, once together Naruto and Sakura seemed to gossip like old ladies.

They were half way through their omelets; eating in silence, save for the occasional scrap of the metal fork against a plate, when another knock had come to the door. Immediately she had looked at Naruto with a quirked brown and a piercing glare, asking silently if he had invited anyone else over for his morning banter, but the Kyuubi host had simply shook his head looking as bemused as she was.

Sitting up from the table, Sakura had made her way out of the kitchen and towards the front door, still not being all that phased with the fact that she was still scantily dressed. The door had opened, revealing an ever gracious Shizune, who had taken one look at the girl and quirked a brow. It was not every day that someone had answered the door wearing practically nothing, especially Sakura Haruno. Before the inky haired woman could utter a word, Naruto had popped up into her line a vision behind Sakura.

"Hey, Shizune!" He had chanted, though the site of him made the pale skinned woman's face conjure into one of pure shock and horror.

Clearing her throat in attempt to regain her bearings, Shizune had looked towards Sakura nervously. "Is…this..is this a bad time?" She had inquired, looking back towards the tan skinned male before looking back at the medical ninja. Sakura, who had caught was she was implying, had a gaped in pure embarrassment at the thought of what the onyx haired woman was implying. Things would never be like that between Kohona's favorite knuckle headed ninja and herself; ever.

"Maa, Maa Shizune-chan. I cannot possibly get involved with this nut case. He would be too much to take care off. " Naruto was saying something behind her, going on about how hurt he was that the future Hokage was being insulted so easily, but he was ignored by both women.

"Tsunade-sama would like to see you. Stop by the office as soon as possible. It looks like you're going to be heading out on another mission once again." Once her message was relayed, the dark eyed woman had disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the coral haired woman to groan loudly as she had shut the door.

Another damn _mission_?

She hadn't been home in twenty four hours and she was already being shipped off to handle god only knows what. Turning her back on the door, the rosette had walked past Naruto, who was still in the hallway.

"You don't seem too happy Sakura-chan." He had stated stupidly.

Jade hues had just rolled in their sockets, before she had made a bee-line for her room. It had occurred to her that Naruto was stupid sometimes, but right now he was being completely moronic. The male was following her like a little dog, right up the stairs and into her bedroom, commenting that it could be worse and that she could be on hospital duty instead.

Well, he was right on one thing, it would be worse to be on hospital duty.

Entering the loft like area, the female had grabbed the first shirt that she had spotted on her bedroom floor, tossed it over her head before heading towards the bathroom, proceeding to shut the door in Naruto's face for the second time that morning.

He had continued to talk to her through the door, stating that it was most likely some stupid mission where she would have to escort an important figure to some ceremony and then that would be it. He was attempting to make her feel better, for he knew her wrath when things had gotten too piled up in her life, but Sakura had never answered one of his comments, partly because she was currently brushing her teeth and the other part being she just knew that he was wrong.

If Tsunade wanted to see her this early and in very little time between her last mission, then it was something very _important_.

Exiting the bathroom, Sakura evaded Naruto, climbed back down the stairs and headed for the door, only stopping to slip on her sandals. "Clean up the house while I'm gone!" She had called back to him before slipping out her door and into the scolding heat of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

It was their summer now, which meant that there would be heat wave after heat wave in the village, hence why most people had chosen to remain indoors and in the air conditioning. The air was sticky, almost like it was caressing your whole entire body with every move that you made. It was heavy and hard to breath in, but that was the price to pay when living in the Land of Fire.

The medical ninja had taken her time getting to her sensei's office. Sakura had taken the more shaded path, which in turn was a very indirect route, the female arriving at the Hokage tower about thirty minutes after Shizune had appeared at her door. Releasing a large sigh of relief as she had walked through the double doors and into a cool building, the cold greeting her heated skin in a gentle embrace, the pinkette had climbed the stairs slowly, still a bit tired from her lack of sleep over the last couple of days.

There was no need to rush, save for the fact that the busty blonde that was currently waiting for her might attempt to take her head off because the kunoichi had made her wait, but other than that, she had all the time in the world.

Arriving at the door, Sakura had gave one knock before entering, the first thing she had noticed was a very irate Tsunade, blue eyes glaring daggers towards the pale skinned female. If looks could kill, Sakura Haruno would no longer be of this living world.

"You're late." The sannin had ground out angrily between clenched teeth. Surely she had taught her student better then to be late for a meeting.

The cherry blossom held up her hands in silent surrender before taking a seat in front of her Hokage, deciding it was best to get down to business rather than just beat around the bush. "So, Tsunade-sensei, what is this all about?"

Said woman was still irritable, but she had sat back in her chair, muscles less tense as she had relaxed slightly. Crossing her legs, Tsunade had folded her perfectly manicured nails in her lap, looking at her student as if attempting to contemplate if she really wanted to do this, but bad pushed all hesitant thoughts aside and got right down to business.

"As you have most likely figured out, I am going to be sending you on a mission." Sakura had simply nodded at the statement made. "Now, this is going to be a long term assignment, which will take about three or four months, at least." The rosette haired female had perked up at this sentence, opening peach tinted lips to comment back to her teacher, but the blonde had held up a hand so that she could finish.

"We need you to stand in for a daughter of a feudal lord. She is to be married in six months time to a man who is in high power in a neighboring country. There are many people who are against this development and will stop at nothing until they see to it that it does not happen. An assassination attempt had occurred earlier this week and they would like to have someone stand in until they could complete the ceremony and ship the woman off her husband's home, to which she is officially under their care. Your job is to be the decoy for this woman, find out what information that you can, and stop the person or people attempting to kill her."

When the woman was finished speaking, she had put down her hand, signaling to her now seething student that she may speak. "I am not going to whine about this like a mere child, but why send me on this mission? There are plenty of other kunoichi in this village who are more than capable to stand in for something like this."

The mission itself was something that didn't bother her, it was more of the fact that what the mission entailed. Prancing around in a formal yukata like a young feudal Hime was not something Sakura was comfortable with, let alone wanted to do. "Surely Hinatap-chan or even Ino-pig could pull this off better than I could. So, why send me?" There was something that her old mentor was hiding from her, she could tell just by the look in her glittering blue hues.

Tsunade had chuckled lightly at the sudden question, expecting nothing less from the girl. "That question is simple to answer. You two have the same hair color."

Never in her lifetime had Sakura Haruno hated her hair more than now.

"I don't see what the big deal is. You won't be going alone. I had picked the perfect body guard, well, technically speaking, _bodyguards_, to look after you." There was a knock at the door then, corners of her sensei's lips curling into a bright smile. "Ah, here they are. Come in!" She had called.

Sakura had an idea of who her sensei was talking about and she was completely loathing it. For once in her life time she had hoped she was wrong.

"Yo."

Turning towards the source of the gruff voice that had addressed her in such a manner, Sakura came face to face with Kiba Inuzuka. Her worst _nightmare_. Turning around to her sensei, the girl had looked the woman directly in the eye with a dangerous glint.

"Tsunade-sama, you better hope that he guards me well, for if I'm able to slip away, I am positively going to _kill _you."

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**Ja Mata Ne.  
Nera **


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: **Here is the second edited chapter of Tsuyoi Hime. I'm currently **looking for a beta reader**. If you have anyone in mind, or feel like beta reading, then please send me a message. Rate and Review.

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_Tsuyoi Hime_**  
Chapter Two: Deal**

Kiba dreamed.

He dreamed of flying, fighting, dying, and the occasional superhero dream.

Naturally, he usually had thoughts filled with every boy's fantasy, which included a tropical beach with the warm sun beating down upon his tanned skin while he was laying on a hammock, tons of island girls fanning him with large tree leaves and feeding him grapes whenever he had parted his lips. _That_ was one hell of a dream.

_This_ was just a nightmare. He didn't want this.

This just was not _him._

Here he stood, hand in hand with a woman he did not know, yet held his clan markings from what he could see. The rest of her appearance was covered by a white veil, the cloth was solid, something not even his trained eyes could see through. They were in the main room of the Inuzuka compound, in front of all the elders as well as the most prestigious members of the clan, getting _married._

His bride to be wore a white yukata, so white in fact that it was almost blinding to the dog trainer. He had become suddenly aware that he had never liked the shade of white and most likely never would. There were floral designs stitched into the silken material, almost transparent to the normal eye, but with a room full of men and women with enhanced senses, which included eyesight, the patterns could be seen perfectly fine. He on the other hand was wearing a royal blue haori with a pair of black hamakas.

The blue cloth was plastered with white double triangles, the symbol of his clan, though the black cloth was just one solid color. The auburn haired male thought back to the way he had been forced into this predicament, dark hues glancing warily towards his mother who was kneeling in the front row, looking completely beside herself. The fanged woman had been forcing him into claiming a suitable woman to be his wife—and longtime mate—for a while now, though he had been able to evade her blunt tactics at setting him up with one of the clanswoman.

Tsume had set up many arranged marriage interviews, though Kiba had mysteriously disappeared on a very important mission the night before each and every single time. He had been able to pull that one off for three meetings before his mother had caught on, practically beating him to death for attempting to pull the wool over his eyes.

Faking sick had only worked once, since his sister Hana, who looked tearful in the first row next to the devil-woman who had put him up to this, was a was a very skilled medic-though, mostly for animals-and she was able to somewhat sense that his symptoms did not lead to any real disease or virus. Kiba ran out of options quickly and thus here he stood.

He didn't want to be _forced_ into getting _married._

He was not ready to accept becoming the clan leader.

With being the leader of the clan meant that he would need to take over all the responsibilities from his mother, which meant no more missions, no more free time, no more being a _shinobi. _ That was something that was not possible in his eyes. All the days of training, all the missions he had successfully accomplished; even the thought of leaving his teammates behind was just painful, so painful in fact, that he had outwardly grimaced.

That was like clipping a birds wings and forcing them into a cage. Never again to fly.

He didn't want _this_.

The male had been so caught up in his thoughts about how this was possibly the worst day of his entire existance, that he had missed the final words of his own marital ceremony, his bride inching closer to plant a kiss to his lips. However, before he could attempt to stop her, the female had evaded his personal space and planted a nice wet lick to his cheek.

Wait, _lick_?

- **M** -

Kiba groaned and pushed Akamaru down off of him, burying himself back into his covers and bed. It was just a_ dream_. Thank the kami above. Barking at Kiba, the dog took hold of the bed sheet and began to pull forcefully, low growls had escaped his lips as he attempted to wake his master up for the fourth time that morning.

"Go away boy." The auburn haired male had muttered, throwing a pillow at the dog that was offending his sleep. However, this did not seem to work, for the mutt had just released the sheet he was tugging on and began to bark in rapid succession for _fifteen _straight minutes.

_Fifteen straight minutes._

Akamaru had barked at his master continuously for fifteen minutes. It was all Kiba could handle.

Sitting up abruptly, he had slid to the edge of the bed, attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes before pointing a glare at his canine partner. "Alright, what is so important that you need to wake me up this early on a Sunday?" The male had rasped slightly as he had had began to stretch.

His hands raised above his head, arching his back forward and a strange angle until he had gotten a nice loud crack from his spine. That feeling was always weird to him, but it was pleasurable all the same. Sighing lightly, dark hues had looked back down to where his companion should be, but instead of there being a large white dog, there was absolutely nothing.

A dark brow had quirked at the disappearance of the beast, but he did not have to wait long for the furry animal wandered back through his bedroom door holding a scroll in his mouth. Frowning slightly, Kiba had retrieved the now slobbered on piece of paper, opening it slowly and carefully as to not get any drool on himself. It was from the Hokage, judging from the fancy parchment that was used, but his guess was solidified when the message written on the document was read.

'_Get your ass to my office, now.'_

Only the Fifth would be able to write something so demanding and crude, yet all the people in the village still needed to follow her commands.

Groaning all the way to the bathroom, complaining that it was way too early and too bright out for him to be up at this hour, the male had escaped into the tiny room, turning on the shower in his entry. Black hues had looked towards the mirror, taking note that he had looked like complete shit.

Purple and blue tinged circles were resting under his eyes, telling anyone that would see him today that he had not gotten a good night's rest. His hair was a tangled mess, though it was not far off from his usual look, but the thought of some type of knot in his usually impeccable hair had irritated him slightly. Kiba continued to point out the flaws in his appearance until the glass pane had fogged up from the steam that was caused by the sweltering water of his morning shower.

Stripping himself of the boxer shorts that he had worn to bed, the dark skinned shinobi had ducked into the steaming wonderland, letting a loud sigh escape his lips as the hot water had come in contact with his cool sun kissed skin. To him, the morning shower was the best part of the day, besides falling asleep of course. As his hands worked soap upon his flesh, the male's mind had wandered to the nightmare wedding that he had minutes before in his dreamscape.

It was true that his mother was attempting to set him up with a few of the clanswomen that were around his age, but it was just a waste of her time. There was nothing wrong with the females so to speak, but they were just not his cup of tea. The whole idea of an arranged marriage was just not his _cup of tea_. It may have been weird for a male to thing something so girly, but Kiba wanted to fall in love on his own time. Find a woman that was worthy of him, not be hitched off to a girl that had the same genetics as himself.

He wanted a challenge, someone that would not give in so easily as the other women in this infernal clan. It was not hard to see that they were only interested because he was going to be the next leader of their family; that, or they were just forced to enjoy it as much as he was. He couldn't be rude or blunt, or _himself_ on a marriage interview, not with Tsume watching his every move. He loved his mother greatly, hell she was the women who gave birth to him, but her wrath was not something he would like to be the cause of, which meant he needed to be on his best behavior no matter how much the male had _loathed_ it.

Turning off the water, Kiba had stepped out of the shower and the bathroom, towel around his hips as he had attempted to find something to wear. His clothing was scattered across the floor, random piles taking up half of his bedroom.

This was not an attractive feature that he had possessed, but hell he was rarely home now a days so cleaning up was not something he was able to do. Sniffing around for something that had smelt decently clean, the male had dressed himself, outfit being just a pair of khaki shorts and a black mesh tank top. Running his hands through his still damp hair, the tattooed male had attempted to make it look somewhat decent since he was going to be meeting with the leader of the village and all, but instead it just turned out to be his usual messy style. Not that he particularly minded.

Whistling for Akamaru to follow behind him, the dog had left his perch from his master's bed and trailed behind the boy as both left the apartment.

The air outside his household was hot and humid, bearing down upon the form of him and his companion heavily. Akamaru did not do well in the heat hence the massive pants that were escaping his lips, tongue handing out of the side of his mouth. The dog had whined lightly at every shadow the pair had passed, as if almost begging his owner to let them stop and take a break, though they had only been walking a few minutes.

After the fourth time, Kiba had just rolled his eyes and told the dog to go back to the house, which he had received a happy bark and a lick on the hand before the dog had trotted off back the way they had come with a bit of speed. It was almost suspicious that the canine had more energy knowing that he was going back into the air conditioned house to rest on his master's couch, rather than having to accompany said master to the Hokage's office. The auburn haired male would let it slide; this time.

When the dog was clear out of sight, Kiba had shoved his hands into his pockets and continued on his way, only stopping slightly when his stomach gave a very loud growl in signal that he had skipped out on breakfast that morning, the male had groaned slightly.

He internally debated whether or not he would he would have enough time to run and grab a bite to eat at one of the number of shops that would be open bright and early, but had quickly decided against it. If there was any woman who could be close to having a temper like his mother, it was Lady Tsunade and the last thing he wanted to do right now was piss her off this early in the morning. One, she was most likely just as pissed off as any other normal person in the early hours of daylight and two, when the busty blond got angry, projectiles would be flying and the last thing he wanted right now was a bottle of sake cracked over his head.

Grumbling under his breath about how this was just his luck, Kiba had continued on his way towards the tower. The morning seemed peaceful, quite and serene, there were a few people on the streets, the male being polite enough to nod in greeting here and there; while the rest of Kohona slept peacefully until a later hour.

Oh how much he wished he was one of those people.

He was sort of beginning to enjoy his walk, even if it was a little too early, but it was quite which was different than the usual bustle and hustle of the village. It was always a strain on his sensitive ears, though he had gotten used to it over the years, but that didn't mean it still bothered him. Things seemed calm, something he particularly liked when he had lived a hectic life of a ninja, well, that was until there was an ear piercing howl echoing through the deserted village.

Bring completely caught off guard, Kiba had jumped slightly at the sudden noise, hands flying out of his pockets while his form had taken a sudden defensive stance. Murky irises had scanned the surrounding area, his nose stiffing the air lightly to find that nothing was out of place so he could rule out an attack. The wound muscles of his offensive stance had relaxed slightly, ears listening for whatever it was that he had heard, quickly picking up a groaning male voice followed by a bunch of profanities of all forms.

He would recognize that voice anywhere.

Turning onto the next block, Kiba had instantly spotted the source of the noise, the blond hunched over the door of an apartment with his fist through the door.

"Oi! What the hell are you trying to do Naruto?" He had asked in a very curious tone, though there was a bit of amusement laced in there.

Said boy had turned around from his crouch at the door, cobalt orbs looking towards the person who had called out to him, finding Kiba towering over him from behind, a dark brow raised in question.

"Kiba! Long time no chat man!" The blond had chirped, a very large grin being plastered on his face, though Kiba did not change his expression meaning that the topic of what Naruto was currently doing was not going to be brushed aside that easily by small talk.

Sighing lightly, giving up in his attempt to distract the dog trainer, the Kyuubi host had removed his hand from the door, standing up while rubbing his wrist lightly. "Well I was trying to fix Sakura-chan's door for her, since I did break it. Though, that really didn't _work_." The male had laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

The story didn't seem unbelievable, for Kiba had found Naruto in much stranger positions then the one that he was in right now, but he couldn't help but tease the blond headed male just a bit.

"Are you sure you were not trying to break into Sakura's apartment?" He had commented, that well known cocky smirk plastered upon his lips.

The other boy had sputtered for a minute before shaking his head vigorously, a slight flush of embarrassment beginning to form upon his cheeks. "Not with the strength that she possess. I might be killed!" Which wasn't technically wrong. There were many rumors of the pink haired medical ninja being spread around the village. She was well known for being the Hokage's apprentice in medical techniques, but there was the fact that she had the strength of ten men in a single fist. No one wanted to get in the way of one of her fists.

Speaking of which, where was Sakura while this idiot was tearing apart her front door? The last time Kiba actually held a conversation with her was months before and it did not really end well. They were opposites on the spectrum of human beings, which in turn meant that they technically didn't see eye to eye on all subjects especially the subject of _Sasuke Uchiha_.

Now Kiba knew quite well it was a touchy subject with the coral haired female, but it just happened to be brought up in a conversation one night while the group of Kohona's eleven was out having dinner together. It was rare to have all of them in the village at once, so they went out as often as time would allow.

Ino and Sakura seemed to be discussing the past, in which, the Uchiha had come up. They were making light jokes about it, but he could tell that there was some sadness dripping off the words that came from Sakura's mouth. In his mind, she looked like a brokenhearted girlfriend that was still pinning over an ex that wanted nothing to do with her. It was sickening.

Things turned sour when Neji, still cold as always-though he was getting a bit better with the help of TenTen-had commented on the inky haired male being a traitor to Kohona, which had put Naruto and Sakura on the defensive right away, protecting their old teammate.

It turned into an all out verbal war over the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre, which had two sides; the people who supported him, which was Sakura and Naruto and the people against him which turned out to be Neji and himself. Naturally, there was a third party of people who had attempted to calm everyone down which was Hinata, Ino, Lee and Tenten. Shikamaru, Shino, and Choji did not say a word, either focusing on their dinner or just not paying attention to troublesome things like arguments.

Of course, Sakura was positively seething at both males, tears threatening to spill in her jade eyes and then Kiba took it over the edge.

'_It's pathetic the way you love him still. He didn't care for you then, he doesn't care for you now. Get over it.'_

With that statement the dam broke and the tears had spilled. Everyone had shut up after that comment and he was expecting a nice punch across the face for what he had said, but she had just stood there, glaring at him with tears spilling down her creamy cheeks. They way that she did nothing hurt even more than any hit she could have given him. She had simply turned then, walked away from the table and out of the restaurant, Naruto quickly on her heel.

If he could, the tattooed male would have easily taken everything he had said back, but time cannot be changed. The blonde male had forgiven him pretty quickly, never being able to hold a grudge, but from what he heard, Sakura hated his existence with everything she had.

Naruto's voice had broken him from his train of thought, Kiba clearly missing the male's words. Shrugging lightly, not bothering to ask where the pink haired woman was, the male with chocolate tresses had begun turn on his heel.

"Whatever you say. Good luck with whatever it is your doing Naruto." Raising his hand up in the air, jerking it slightly to the left as to give him a backwards wave, Kiba had walked off down the street once more, Naruto's cry of, "I'm just fixing the door!", echoing behind him.

It didn't take long before he had reached the tower, feeling refreshed now that he was out of the heat. He arrived at the door shortly after climbing the stairs, knocking once before the voice of the leader of the village had reached his ears. Opening the door, Kiba was bombarded with a bunch of different scents.

The first one, the one that was most potent in the room, was that of stale alcohol and smoke, which was the smell known as Tsunade. The other, was that of rain soaked cherry blossoms and vanilla, though there was a little spice to it signaling the person was a bit angry at the moment. This scent was that of Sakura Haruno and there she was sitting right in front of the Hokage, practically ready to explode from the rage that was building up inside her.

"Yo." He had called, smirking slightly towards the female.

And then the dam broke, _again._

Was it something he said?

He had muttered all of one words and now here he stood, evading the cross fire of the verbal war that was going on between teacher and student, shrill voices piercing his ear drums.

"I** refuse** to work with the likes of him!" Sakura had all but yelled towards the blond woman sitting behind the desk who was rubbing her temples lightly. Kiba had then come to the conclusion that the cherry blossom was still a bit angry with him for his comment months before. "He may have his senses, but that does not mean I trust him with_ my _life! Get me someone better and then I will do this mission."

Hell, he didn't like her all that much either, but did she really need to get all worked up and question his skills as a shinobi?

"Now wait just a minute…" He had started but was cut off when the emerald eyed female had turned to him and pinned him with a deadly glare that would make most men run in fear.

"You know those times when you should keep your mouth shut? This is one of those times. So, _shut up._" The pale skinned woman had ground out those words through clenched teeth before turning around and began to debate again with her old sensei about getting another person for his mission.

She was getting on his last nerve.

Taking a step forward, Kiba had grabbed a hold of the chair that the coal haired female was sitting in and spun it around so that she was looking directly at him. "I'll make you a deal." He had stated, attempting to keep his temper in check because of the fact that he would not get anywhere by growling at her. "If I can outsmart and capture you, then you have to work with me on this mission. If not, I'll happily give up the position to another person."

Sakura had thought long and hard, attempting to come up with the odds of her own victory in her head. Apparently, she had liked the numbers she was up against. "Deal."

Kiba had smirked broadly, "Team Seven training ground. Five o'clock." The rosette haired woman had just nodded her head before standing up, pushing past him and walking out the door of the office.

"I hope you know what you are doing." Tsunade had muttered, already digging through her bottom draw for the rice wine that she had kept in here. All this stress made her crave a drink.

"Don't worry. It is going off without a hitch." The auburn haired male had stated before leaving the office himself, trotting down the steps, that cocky smirk on his lips.

Game on.

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**Ja Mata Ne.  
Nera **


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N:** This chapter is a little slow, please don't kill me. It focuses more on the bonds between the characters rather that the flow of the story, but it is still part of the plot. Enjoy! Rate and Review.

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Tsuyoi Hime  
**Chapter Three: Chit-Chat**

A very angry phone call later and the literal kidnapping of the future Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Sakura Haruno found herself silently brooding within a café, a cup of green tea in her grasp with both Ino Yamanaka and Naruto Uzumaki sitting across from her; one blond looking completely discombobulated for being up this early, while the other seemed to be more focused on the plate of Chichi Dango that was placed in the middle of the table, restraining himself to only eat one at a time instead of gobbling down the whole plate in one instant, even if he had eaten breakfast at his partner's home.

"I don't see what the problem is. Kiba is a good enough guy. It is only one mission." The Kyuubi host had muttered between bites of the second little dumpling that he had pulled off the skewer.

"It can't be as bad as your making it out to—" The piercing emerald eyes that were boring onto his frame had silenced the male, stopping all attempts of making a conversation out of fear that he might be thrown through the front window. That fear only intensified when Naruto had come to the conclusion that the coral haired woman had not qualms about fulfilling such an act.

The petite woman had beaten him in public before and her being already irate only made his chances of getting tossed around like a rag doll all the more present.

Beside him, Ino snorted in an unladylike fashion, which had caught the attention of both bodies that she was currently wasting her time with. If she was going to be up this early, she might as well be doing something productive like working in the flower shop or attempting to push Choji out of bed.

If it was one thing her lover was known for, it was eating and sleeping, not that she minded all that much. Choji was Choji no matter what he did and she would not have him any other way. Completely ignoring the disgruntled jade hues that were looking at her strangely, the woman turned her attention to the fox like male, giving him a small smile.

"Don't let her intimidate you Naruto. When Forehead is miserable, then she attempts to make everyone else around her just as moody as she is." The blond female had chided, sneaking a peak at said pinkette when she had spoke, not attempting to hide the small smile that quirked on her lips as pink brows had furrowed together showing that Sakura was not amused.

Sure the girls had thrown away their rivalry out the window when Naruto had left for his two year training. They knew fighting over a certain inky haired male would get them nowhere in life, though Ino knew that no matter what Sakura said about Sasuke, the emerald eyed young woman would always care for her former teammate whether it be that sick little puppy love or just a connection that only the people on Team Seven could feel. It never really made sense to her, how close one team could be.

Sure, Shikamaru and Choji were her good friends, the latter being a step up from that level, but the three students that were once under Kakashi's wing were once a family—_still are_ a family—the blond had inwardly corrected.

Even with the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre gone and an ex-Root member taking his place, the bonds they had were never severed and it seemed that even Sai was accepted into their twisted little connections. She didn't know exactly what they had done to make them so close, but the traitorous act of the Uchiha had torn them all apart.

Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi had all lost a friend, companion, and a _brother. _The loss of the raven haired boy was only skin deep to Kohona, a traitor in the eyes of its people. However, to those who made up the old Team Seven, it was something that had hit them down to the very soul. Here was someone they had cared for on a level that not many had expressed for their teammates and he had left them behind in the dust just to gain power so he could kill his brother.

Plus, the lingering feelings that Sakura had pulling on her heartstrings whenever the thought of Sasuke had passed through her mind tore the pinkette up inside. It was obvious to anyone who had known her growing up.

A girl at the age twenty should not have gone through the things that Sakura had gone through within the last four years of her life. They say that the life of a ninja was something that always brought surprises, keeping you on your toes, but the events that had happened to the pair of shinobi that she was sharing the same table with were a little much.

Ino had always admired Sakura for her determination. If the green eyed girl had put her mind to something, it would get done. For example, being left behind by the two males that she considered brothers did not sit well in the stomach of the coral haired kunoichi, hence she had fought her way to the top of the food chain, landing her a spot of third best medic within the village—behind Tsunade-sama and Shizune—and was known renownedly for her take down of the Akatsuki member Sasori. It also helped that she could take down mountains with her fists.

Sakura had done well for herself and Ino would be lying to say that she wasn't jealous of her achievements, but the one thing that the blond was grateful for that the rosette haired girl did not possess, was the ability to let things go. The fair haired woman was able to let her childish love go for the dark male, it was quick and painless. Sakura, however could not easily sever her ties and it was slowly killing her on the inside.

The busty blond did not know if her best friend and favorite enemy still held some romantic interest in the Uchiha, but she knew well enough that Sakura did not get the easy end of the bargain. The pinkette was not one to put her feelings out in the open even thought she did wear her heart on her sleeve.

It was easy for any person who passed by her to tell how she would be feeling that day, but the real inner workings of Sakura's mind were still a mystery to the cobalt eyed woman and no matter how hard Ino attempted to pry her open, there was only so much Sakura would tell. The words that she would never, ever forget Sakura saying were ones that she had said at least a few months back, after the incident with Kiba.

'_Waking up, not remembering anything would be a lot easier then living this nightmare._'

For once, Ino did not have a response to say, so she had conveyed her feelings in touch, bringing her friend into a tight embrace while the warm tears had cascaded down her creamy cheeks.

What the dog trainer said was uncalled for, but he was right in a sense. Sakura needed to move on with her life, if anyone she had deserved to be happy, but, the blond knew that things were not that simple. Things were easier said than done and no one would know that more than Sakura Haruno.

"That is _so_ not true, Pig." The voice of said medic ninja had broken through the train of thought that the pale skinned, blue eyed kunoichi was having, causing her to come back to reality.

"You know damn well it is, Forehead." She had stated, pausing in her attack so that she could take a sip of the now lukewarm tea that was sitting in front of her.

"I blame your bitch like attitude because of your inability to keep a man by your side. Seriously, when was the last time you had a date?" The blond had questioned.

Naruto, who was finishing off the last of the Dango, nearly choked on the skewer that he was pulling off one of the small dough balls off of, choosing now to excuse himself to use the 'little boy's room'. Neither woman had noticed him scurrying off as if he were running from impending doom, for both were locked in a silent battle of wills as fiery jade battled against molten sapphire.

In a surprising turn of events, Ino would happily claim the victory, for Sakura had sighed heavily, breaking the eye contact when her glowing hues had fluttered closed, her free hand raising so she could pinch the bridge of her nose between the thumb and pointer finger.

"I _do not_ need a lesson in love from you right now." The fair haired female had muttered to her friend, both of her hands sliding down into her lap, dark lashes brushing up against the apples of her pale cheeks as sea green optic pools had opened once more, the hostility behind them gone completely.

"You scared Naruto off." Sakura had then deadpanned, taking note of the vacant seat next to the blond female.

"He is worried about you. Of course, you of all people should have noticed that Sakura since you two are always together." Placing her elbows on the wooden countertop of the table, Ino had leaned in closer to the medical-nin, pinning her with a look of such seriousness that it made Sakura squirm slightly in her seat. It was not every day that the gossip queen of Konoha was in a somber state of mind.

"You have to stop this." The purple clad female had stated suddenly, causing a frown to etch itself in the brow of the other woman, a sheer look of confusion crossing over Sakura's features.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." The medical ninja had stated with a slight tilt of her head, which—in body language terms—meant that she really didn't know what the hell her friend was going on about. This movement had caused Ino to release a loud huff, leaning back in her chair with her hands crossed over her chest, pinning Sakura with a scrutinizing gaze.

"You need to move on Sakura and I know that is a lot, coming from someone like me. I don't live the life you do and I don't know what you are feeling, but in all seriousness you need a break from things. This mission with Kiba might take your mind off things for a while and who knows, you and the mutt might just get together." A wicked smirk was added to the last comment, showing that even in a serious situation such as this one Ino liked to add a bit of humor to things.

There was a bit of tension in Sakura's body, the muscles in her back stiffening when the blond had started her small little rant. She didn't like to talk about things like this; they brought back unwanted memories from the past that would haunt her for nights in a row.

There was an underlying guilt in her gut, something that left her nauseated to the extent where she had to excuse herself from whatever she was doing—be it her checkups at the hospital or training with the Hokage—to sit down and just clear her head.

It was all _her_ fault.

That thought had been imprinted in her mind for many, many days now. She couldn't help but feel at fault for everything that she had done. If she didn't complain, didn't carry on the way that she had done so, didn't sob towards Nartuo in such a way—maybe, just maybe, they would not be in this type of situation.

If she had just kept her big mouth shut for once, her surrogate brother would not feel the need to take it upon himself to go and drag the inky haired male back with all his might. Then again, maybe he would have done it just because he was hurting on the inside the same as she was. They had come a long way, all three of them: the love struck female, silently emotionless heart throb, and the loudmouth knucklehead that the village wanted nothing to do with.

Peach lips had curled slightly at the thought.

Sasuke was something that the village could praise, to show off to everyone else, to brag that they had such a shinobi that would protect that Hidden Village with his heart and soul. They had a protégé on their hands and they were not short of exploiting him.

Naruto, on the other hand, was the village's shame—the opposite of Sasuke, who was the pride. They were opposites from the start. The last Uchiha didn't need to prove himself to anyone. All he needed to do was show the emblem on his back and there would be many flocking to him. It was like a sick, twisted, addicting little fad; to love Sasuke Uchiha. The Kyuubi host, however, was a child that no one paid attention to. He was the kid that your parents told you to stay away from otherwise there would be no television for the rest of the week.

Sakura had never understood why her parents told her to keep away from the sad looking blond boy, but she had listened none the less no matter how much he had pulled on her heartstrings with just a look in those utterly broken cobalt hues.

What was it like to be completely ignored for a greater amount of your young life by everyone that you had ever known? It must have hurt him greatly, but he had never shown it in his younger days, not even when Iruka-sensei had asked taken him out of the class to ask why there were bruises all over his arms and legs.

Naturally, the blond had laughed it off as if it were nothing, stating that he had fallen down the stairs, but that seemed completely irrational since their academy class was on the first floor of the building, but nevertheless, sensei had let it slide. Naruto was very strong willed no matter how much the kids picked and bullied him.

He had never cried.

Sakura had seen the Jinjuriki host do many things. Kick, punch, screech, howl, bleed out, and possibly maim—but, never had she been one of the lucky few to see him shed tears. He was such a strong and thick skulled boy that he knew showing weakness would only leave and opening for more pain to flow through.

Even now he refused to show any downfall. After he had won the hearts of the villagers and became a respected man, he still will not break down his inner walls in front of a few people, one of those being her. Sakura had come to the conclusion that he didn't want to show weakness in front of her because it would in turn make her lose hope in him and their journey that they would face together.

"He really is an idiot." The pinkette had muttered underneath her breath, jade hues dancing around the room until they had spotted the future Hokage, who was ordering what seemed to be another set of Chichi Dango. Peach tinted lips had curled into a small smile, eyes softening at the sight of him.

Here was a man that would put his life on the line for any single one of his friends, never breaking a promise until it was fulfilled.

"Hinata is lucky to have captured the heart of a man like him." Ino had chimed in who seemed to be on the same train of thought as her pink haired counterpart, looking towards the orange clad ninja who was chatting animatedly with the male behind the counter. For a moment there was a long silence between them, both just looking towards their trusted friend and companion with appraisal in their eyes.

Naruto was really _something else_.

The sudden shift of a seat nearby had broken Sakura from her appreciative gaze, turning her head so she could stare at the woman in purple who seemed to be placing her share of the money down on the counter which caused Sakura to raise a slender brow in question as if to ask where she was going.

"Choji is expecting me for breakfast with his parents. He should be waking up right about now since it is close to mid-day." She had commented, a small smile quirking on her facial features.

Whenever Ino talked about her significant other, her tone was soft and the blond did nothing but smile. She was truly happy with her choice of a man and to see her best friend like that made Sakura slightly envious of what she had.

"Try not to kill Kiba on your mission, Forehead." The woman had commented taking two steps away from the table, her back turned towards the rosette haired woman, that statement being her farewell.

"I didn't agree to that mission yet!" The jade eyed female had commented back, only to receive a 'whatever' in return before Miss Yamanaka had exited the café all together, a small chime of a bell above the door signaling her exit.

Sighing slightly, Sakura had become slightly aware of the fact that there was a very familiar chakra signature standing next to the table which had caught her attention. Turning her head slightly, jade orbs landed upon a seemingly timid Naruto who was holding out a fresh plate of sweets as if he was offering a truce. The answer he had received was a pearly white revealing smile from the coral haired woman, which made him release a heavy sigh of relief before claiming his seat once more.

They nibbled away in silence for a while, each trapped within their own thoughts, Sakura's on her current predicament and Naruto's on a certain purple haired, silver eyed beauty that he liked to call his own. Eventually, the blond had gotten sick of the silence between himself and his surrogate sister and proceeded to part his lips to speak, but closed them quickly because he didn't exactly know what to say to her.

When Sakura was lost in thought that meant she really didn't want to be disturbed unless it was something important and at the moment he really didn't have anything all that _important_ to say. The idea of talking about the situation with Kiba had popped up in his head, sun kissed lips parting to speak, though they had closed once more for the fear that she might get irritated at the mention of the auburn haired dog trainer.

The process repeated for a few moments, leaving Naruto looking like a fish gasping for air and this notion had eventually caught Sakura's attention, to which she had broken from her daze, feeling slightly rude that she had let the blond sit here and wallow while she completely ignored him.

"How are things with you and Hinata?" The female had asked, putting her full attention towards the fox like male that was sitting in front of her. Said male had turned a light shade of red at the mention of his significant other, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

The sight made her smile genuinely. Sakura was happy that he had found someone who he could be with that would not judge him for what was inside of his body; to just like Naruto for being…well…Naruto. His past was so blackened with hate and fear because no one cared a sliver for his existence. They had never noticed just how good of a person the Yondaime's son was, however, everyone had changed their opinion once he had saved the village from the Pein attack.

He had become the hero of the village, which she was not happy about. Now, don't get her wrong, Naruto deserved to be in the limelight for all that he had done for this village, but the idea that it took a large scale attack for most people to notice him was the part that had gotten her peeved. _He_ deserved better than this village, but he would never leave because this was his home no matter how much it had hurt him.

"What about you and the infamous Inuzuka?" The voice of the blonde male that had plagued her thoughts had made her train of thought go kaput. Sakura had missed whatever he had stated over the last few moments about himself and the Hyuuga heiress and not realized that he was questioning her about the bane of her existence.

"I never accepted the mission yet. He made me a deal. If he could outsmart and capture me, then I would accept the mission. If I can keep him off or defeat him, then he would back off." The more her story continued, the more the cobalt eyes of her friend grew wider. Was it really that big of a deal?

She knew that she could take on Kiba in a match, of course she would have to be extra careful since his enhanced senses, but she was a medical ninja and that meant her evasion skills were top notch, which evened them out well enough. Plus, if it had gotten down to a fight, then all it would take was one punch and he would be done. Kiba was a long range attacker more than a taijutsu fighter. All she needed to do was stay in his personal bubble and there would be nothing he could do.

"Don't count him out, Sakura-chan." The sun kissed skinned boy had stated, mouth drawn in a taunt line. It seemed Naruto could read the self confident leer that was growing on her own lips.

"He may seem like he has a weakness, but his defenses are good. Take it from someone who fought him once." That was right; Naruto had to face off against Kiba in the chunin exams and the only way the Kyuubi host had gotten away with a victory was the fact that he had let one loose in front of auburn haired dog trainer's noise. It seemed funny at the time, but hell, it worked out well.

"Don't worry about me Naruto. I'll be fine and by the end of today I will have a new teammate to play bodyguard with." Drowning the rest of the tea the female had stood up slowly, arching her back forward in attempt to soothe her aching muscles and when she received a dull pop at the base of her spine, the jade eyed female had sighed with relief.

"Stop by for dinner later? You can bring Hinata if you want." The female had questioned, glittering hues locked on to the male who was still sitting down, nibbling slowly on the sweet treat. He had nodded at her question, smiling broadly with that signature grin that he had.

"Yeah, we will stop by later and you can tell us all about your pending battle." Both had released a small chuckle at the comment, to which Sakura had taken her leave with a wave ad a promise to cook something delicious later on that evening.

The rosette haired woman had made her way back to her apartment, spending a better part of the afternoon going over the medical files and charts of the patients at the hospital that were in the recovery ward, making sure everything was in perfect condition before she had stopped around three o'clock to have a quick meal before she had gathered up her things to get ready the little conflict that was about to ensue.

It was around four fifteen that were was a rasp at her door, Sakura opening it to find Akamaru standing there with his tail wagging in a happy manner. Quirking a brow slightly, the woman moved out of the building, locking the door behind her before she had turned to the large white furred beast.

"Alright boy, take me to your master."

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**Ja Mata Ne.  
Nera.**


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N: **Alright, this chapter is dedicated to **Aijou829** because she said she was just dieing for some Kiba action. Enjoy! Review and Rate. 

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Tsuyoi Hime  
**Chapter Four: Battle**

How did this _happen?_

This was not the way things _should_ have turned out.

Sakura Haruno, a top medical ninja and known renownedly as the apprentice of Tsunade—one of the three _sannin_—was currently flat on her back, labored breaths escaping her split and partially bleeding lips, her lithe form being dwarfed and crushed by a half conscious _Inuzuka, _who was looking down at her with a look of complete self accomplishment and arrogance within those dark depths of his.

This was not how this little game of theirs was supposed to end.

_She _was supposed to be the victor in this battle. So, where was it that she had exactly gone wrong? Everything had happened so fast that the recollection process was hard to keep track of.

-**M**-

The kunoichi had left her housing, following behind the large fair furred Akamaru, who she had no problem having a one sided conversation with as they had journeyed down the streets of the village they had called home. It was late in the day, the sun ducking low behind the horizon, bathing the city in a molten glow of oranges and crimson.

It was as if the colors and the intensity of the light are just enough for anyone who had caught a glimpse, to just take a moment out of their busy lifestyle and appreciate the beauty of it all.

They rays were warm and calming, reaching each individual in the busy streets with a gentle caress. The sun, which was once a bright, burning inferno at mid-day, was not lowering its stance and amount of heat. It was as if a big symphony of powerful music at one moment was quieting down as it transverse into a beautiful and emotional slow song. It was quite lovely.

However, instead of taking in the natural beauty of the whole scene, Sakura rambled on to the dog, talking to him about the many things about his master that had ticked her off to no end, which included that narcissistic personality of his.

"How on Earth could you stand to be with him twenty-four seven is beyond me, boy." The female had commented towards the animal, only to receive a bark in response, which she had taken as a would-be laugh. In all seriousness, Akamaru was the only thing about the auburn haired male that the medical ninja liked.

The dog was sweet and easily liked by anyone that had come around him, plus, he had saved her ass from colliding with trees, rocks, and the ground on numerous occasions. Back when Kiba and herself were on civilized speaking terms with each other, they had been assigned to work with each other on a few missions and it seemed his furry partner always had her back when things turned rough.

It was more she than she could say for his _master._

Upon arrival at the fencing that had surrounded the team seven training grounds, Sakura had looked around slowly. Did Kiba not plan on meeting her outside the gate? This was so like him. He was most likely hiding in some bush ready to spring out at her whatever chance he would get.

Sighing heavily, the pink haired woman had taken a second to check her bearings, making sure that her weapons pouch was secure around her upper thigh, black leather gloves were on, and that her forehead protector was securely tied and had no chance of loosening in the oncoming conflict. When things seemed to be in order to her liking, the jade eyed beauty had turned back towards the canine, intent on suggesting that they get this whole thing over with, only to find that said mutt had disappeared while her back was turned.

That was kind of creepy.

Well, no matter what kind of disappearing act had just occurred, Sakura wanted to get this over and done with so she could be in bed before nine o'clock and have a new partner by mid afternoon tomorrow. Without further ado, the red clad kunoichi had neatly back flipped over the metal confines, taking off into the surrounding trees as fast as she could.

If it was one thing she would give to Kiba, it was that he was persistent and he meant business when it came to their challenge. They had not even come face to face with each other and she had already worked up a sweat just dodging the various traps that he had set upon the trail.

The further into the depths of the bush she had gotten, the more intense they had gotten. At first, it had been a simple net covered in leaves that was easily avoided by a long stride over the terribly hidden ensnarement, but of course that was just a decoy for the trip wire that pulled by her foot, which sent a large array of kunai flying down towards her from the tree tops at every known angle.

Avoiding those took a bit more effort than she would have liked, but it wasn't anything that she couldn't handle, weaving in, out, and around the barrage of flying metal like a snake sauntering through the grass cautiously as it closed in on it's prey.

Out of that little endeavor she was sporting a few scratches on her upper arms and on across her calf, but she had continued forward with a flame of determination burning within the emerald depths of her optic pools. When she was about halfway through the thick forest like area, there was a pitfall that she had almost fallen into, but luckily with the agility that she had easily caught her balance and evaded the large gaping hole in the ground.

Of course, Kiba was nowhere near done after those, for before she had broken through the tree line, two large tree trunks attached to ropes, one coming from her left and one on her right, had swung in her direction in attempt to squish her into a flat pancake. That one was a little too close for her comfort, the pale skinned woman only able to get out of the way at the very last possible second, throwing her body forward to escape the would-be crushing fate and right into the sanctuary of a _thorn_ bush.

Naturally, getting out of that was not an easy thing to do and it came with a couple of muttered profanities and stinging sensations all over her glossy skin in the spots that the offending plant had attacked her with its sharp barbs.

This did not help Kiba's situation for at the moment that she had entered the clearing, the only think Sakura Haruno wanted to do was have the dog like boy buried six feet under the ground before the moon had risen in the sky. However, the rage that was burning wildly inside the pit of her stomach had stopped when glittering irises had taken in the surrounding area, a soft look taking over her from.

Sakura didn't know if Kiba chose this place on purpose to mess with her—and she really didn't want to give him the credit of being that _smart_—but, her really chose his battle ground well.

This was the place where most of her early memories as a ninja were made and no matter how much she had attempted to push them aside, they always came back whenever she was near this place. The good, the bad, the heartbreaking—it didn't matter what type of remembrance it was; it always had _him _in it.

Shifting her stance so that her body had turned slightly to the left, Sakura had looked towards the three pieces of wood that were planted into the ground. They were wide enough to once be middle sized trees, but now they were cut and smoothed down to be used to tie down rambunctious students like Naruto when they didn't listen all that well and they failed at fetching the bells when Kakashi had dragged them out of bed to play his little game.

She remembered the first day of training, the makeshift team that she was a part of. Two boys who wanted nothing more to wring each other's necks, a female that was love struck and completely useless, and a teacher who liked to read erotic novels at any chance he could.

That was Team Seven and no matter what rough patches that they had hit in years that had followed, they were _family._ Even when one of the family members was not at the other's side anymore, off on a quest filled with power and revenge.

When Sasuke left, Sakura was a wreck. Things like this were not supposed to happen, all three of them were just getting used to working together, and they were finally overcoming the walls that had separated themselves from each other for so long.

Something like that had been one of his main reasons to leave and it shattered her heart into tiny little bite sized pieces. The tears she had shed during the first week of his betrayal against their village could not be counted; a little thirteen year old girl had lost her first love, crying was a normal reaction that should have been expected.

The waterworks would not stop no matter how much she had wished it. She didn't want it to hurt like this, but she couldn't belittle the pain that had wracked her body every time that she had thought of the way he had said goodbye. It was not until Naruto had left for his own journey had she stood on her own two feet again.

When he had come back bloodied and broken after she had sobbed to him to bring back their Sasuke had stirred something inside of her. It flipped a switch and she had realized that begging for someone to do something for her was nothing but weak. If she wanted something done, _she_ needed to do it _herself_. No good would come from her pleading with her friends to bring back the inky haired male.

And she had vowed that she would be the one to escort the last Uchiha back through the gates of the Hidden Village in the Leaves.

Many years had passed, of course, time does heal would, but not all. It still hurt to think of him, a tiny pang in her chest that threatened to overtake her if she did not stop the direction her thoughts were heading. The love she had for him had not deteriorated over the many days of his absence, but it was not the childish love that she and Ino had once rivaled over.

It was something that she could not describe in words, but she had come to the conclusion that it was like the affection that Naruto held for the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre; a compassion for a companion, friend, brother, and teammate.

The space between them had obviously made things different and it made her wonder that if the older she had gotten, would she completely be released from the spell that Sasuke had woven upon her when she was younger? Would she really be able to let it go and just move on with her life? Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but just how long would it take for the hole in her heart to be completely filled once more?

It had been way to long and she was not getting any younger. The time they shared was sacred to her, something she held close to her heart, the best memories she ever had; but, she could not just chase around the inky haired boy for the rest of her life. Sakura could not just regret and hate herself for letting him slip through her fingers.

For two years she had built up her inner walls for the day that she would see him again and it just happened to be when Team Kakashi had been formed with Sai and Yamamoto. Those two years had not been enough preparation for her, for when her eyes had lain upon his form, her body stilled as if behind held in place by some type of magic.

Sakura had sworn that she would take him down with her own hands, but she still was not ready for that. It had been four years since that day and she was rounding on her twentieth birthday and still she had not been able to bring him back to the village.

Naruto and herself were hurting still, anyone could see, but that was the only thing they could do. All they could do was hurt and they hurt together; for the loss of their bother.

Blinking away the moisture that was suddenly building up in her eyes, Sakura had returned to the present, coming to terms with the fact that there were silent tears sliding down her creamy cheeks. She had not cried about something like this in a long time. She didn't know being a shinobi would hurt like this, but there was no turning back on her journey now, she needed to hold her head up high and continue with her path in life; and nothing, _absolutely_ nothing and no one would get in the way of her goals.

Unfortunately for her, the coral haired girl was not the only one who had realized that there were still tears dripping from her eyes. The scent of the saltwater must have reached his sensitive nose because Kiba chose all times to make his presence known and he was the last person that she wanted to have see her in a state such as this.

He stood about ten feet in front of her, arms crossed with a look on his face that she could not read. It almost looked like some type of concern, but when his eyes met her own, a mask of stoic indifference had taken over, though that was not long lived for that same cocky smirk that everyone had associated with the auburn haired male had placed itself upon his lips.

"What is the matter princess? I didn't even touch you yet and you're already crying out like a little girl." The tone of his voice was playful, but there was something there that seemed off for him.

Usually whenever they had come in contact with each other after that outburst he had at dinner, they had done nothing but glare and insult each other. There was a certain air about the dog trainer when he was insulting her that had always made his words sting, but now that edge seemed to be dulled—deflated like a popped balloon. If she didn't know any better, Sakura would think that Kiba was trying to tease her in attempt to take her mind off of whatever it was that had caused her to break down and cry.

Inwardly snorting at the idea, the back of her gloved hand had run across her face slowly, wiping away the excess moisture. Her face was set in stone, a new look of determination shining within those murky green depths of her optic pools.

"Okasho!" The female had suddenly shouted, right hand clenched into a fist as she had leaned her body back slightly before bringing her hand down with such speed, her limb coming in contact with the ground, sending a shattering wave of crumbling rock and debris toward Kiba, who had disappeared from his spot in attempt to avoid her attack.

"Well, well, well. You are just one horrifying woman." A cool baritone voice had grumbled in her ear, which had caused Sakura's eyes to widen slightly. How had he gotten behind her so quickly and without her noticing his presence? Naruto was not kidding when he had said to take the dog like male seriously, but no one called her horrifying and had gotten away without a scratch.

Spinning on her heel, a chakra enhanced foot was aimed for his large, ego filled head, but her slender body part had come in contact with only air, which in turn put her slightly off balance, though she had recovered quickly, finding the feel of cool metal up against her neck.

"You need to keep your emotions in check Princess. Getting all riled up will get you anywhere but in a grave, especially when fighting an opponent." Kiba had mocked. He was doing this on purpose and they both knew it. Sakura was someone who always let her emotions get the better of her, it was her one downfall, but she would not let this _dog_ get the better of her. No way in hell.

"Now, make this simple for both of us and just accept that I won now before you get hurt. " The male had purred, pressing the kunai a little harder into the throat of the cherry blossom, not enough to draw blood, but enough pressure to show that he meant business when he was saying that he wanted this to be over.

The only answer he had gotten was a soft pop as the woman in front of him had disappeared in front of his eyes and a piece of wood had fallen at his feet in her place.

"Shit! A substitution!" He had muttered before jumping back, sniffing frantically as to locate the woman who was masking her scent and aura too well for his liking. Things would be harder then he would have liked, but then again that is what he got when he messed with the Hokage's apprentice.

People had always told him to never judge someone by how they appeared, but looking at Sakura you really couldn't think of anything other than a delicate flower. Hell, just look at her name for example. Everything about her just screamed soft, however, judging by the large crater that she had just create with her fist, the girl was anything but.

"Tsutenkyaku!" A feminine voice had called, the brunette boy breaking from his momentary lapse of concentration to look up and see the heel of a black boot attempting to collide with his tattooed face. If he did not have the speed and reflexes that his clan was born with, Kiba was pretty sure that no plastic surgeon would have been able to repair his face back to usual if he had taken this hit. Thankfully, he was able to evade the attack, her heel brushing right past his nose by mere millimeters.

He really couldn't underestimate her. Sakura had just used her own Cherry Blossom Clash before following up with Tsunade's famous Legendary Heel Drop. This woman was deadly and strong.

And she meant business.

Smirking broadly, the male had twice towards the red clad medical ninja, who was now breathing heavily, taking up a traditional taijustu stance.

"You almost got me on that one Princess. Though, close is not good enough." Molding his hands together, the canine like male had slowly begun to become enveloped in a light blue glow—chakra becoming tangible, teeth becoming sharper, eyes becoming larger, feral.

The fingernails on his hands which were usually blunt had become claw like and his always messy hair had seemed to become even more untamable. There was an utterly animalistic look about him, crazed and fear striking. This was something that she had seen him use against Naruto in the chunin exams, the Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry.

"Shikyaku no Jutsu." The male had growled getting down on all fours, looking at her in a way that would make any other person want to run for the hills rather than risk going head to head against him in combat. She needed to be careful or this was going to end very badly.

Before either of them could make a move however, another Kiba had burst through the trees, running on all fours only to slide to a halt right next to his look alike. The look on her face must have been amusing because both had grinned in a feral way, causing a slight shiver to crawl up her spine. This was his Jujin Bunshin, which meant that the clone next to him was Akamaru. She knew that they were really going to go at it tonight, but she really didn't think he would get his partner involved. This took things to a whole new level.

There would be no holding back and without further ado, she had charged head on towards the pair of animalistic males.

The group danced back and forth, around one another as both had attempted to place hits on the target. Both males attempting to knock the woman off of her balance so they could easily take her out, but her quick evasion skills that only a medical ninja had possessed seem to keep her out of their reach, so instead they had resorted to another plan, one in which they knew that she would not see coming.

They were corralling her, Sakura knew very well of that fact. Every single time she had moved towards the right, one of them was there to prevent her from going too far, pushing her back to the left. What they had in store for her was another trap, setting off what seemed to be thousands of kunai in her direction. Under that type of barrage no one could escape and it would be a direct hit, however, when the rain of metal had ceased and the dust settled, there was no Sakura Haruno in sight.

"You really didn't think I would notice your intention pup?" Her voice had called from the other side of the clearing, which had surprised the pair of males. Since when had Sakura been knowledgeable in the art of Shadow Clones? Last time Kiba checked, that was Naruto's thing. Though surprises in the midst of battle were the best. It showed that she was able to keep up with him and keep him on his toes, something Kiba utterly desired in an opponent. Without answering her question, the pair of look a-likes had lunged towards her to engage in another round of swing and miss.

The coral haired girl didn't know how long she could keep this up. Her stamina was equal to that of Kiba's, but _two_ Kiba's was not something she had prepared herself for. Sakura needed to get them closer to her, to be able to land at least a single hit on at least one of them so that she could even the odds. If she only had one dog to deal with then it would be perfectly fine, but having to dog four hands instead of two was not working well with her. Jumping backwards, the jade eyed beauty had landed a top of the middle log that Naruto had been tied to so many years before.

"Is this the best you have Kiba?" She needed to belittle him, to weaken and berate him.

"You can't even fight me by yourself? You need Akamaru here with you?" Getting him angry was going to get her the outcome that she desired.

"What? Can't handle one little girl by yourself? What kind of male are you."

This was going to hurt.

"Fang over Fang!" Both men had hiss through clenched teeth before the whirling typhoons of the Gatsuga had begun to move in her direction. This needed to be timed right, down to the very last possible second. The distance closed between the two forces rapidly, the cherry blossom being able to dodge the first wave of the attack, though that had put her in the path of the second. Pumping as much chakra as she could muster into her forearms, Sakura had crossed her arms in front of her face and took the blow head on.

There was a split second there the forces of her power and his power had met, time seeming to slow as she had begun to move one arm from the cross she had reaching up and grabbing onto the shoulder of the rapidly spinning Kiba. It stopped his movements, large dark hues looking at her in utter surprise before a chakra laden fist had met his left cheek, sending the male flying a good fifty yards before he had crashed to the ground in a crumpled heap.

The second Kiba had stopped the second wave of the attack, noticing that his partner was down and out, both sets of eyes upon the large mass of fur that had just appeared from a small cloud of white mist. So she had taken out Akamaru. The thought of actually hitting the dog did not sit well in her mind, but it needed to be done, he was attacking her after all.

Though, in the back of her mind, the pinkette really wished it had been Kiba who she had hit for he was the one who deserved the punch after the things he had said to her, plus this littler charade needed to end.

Looking towards the male in question, he was now standing, tall and proud, eyes cast towards his fallen comrade. It was like Kiba had known she was looking at him for he had turned his head slowly towards her, eyes hard at the loss of his partner. He would rather have it himself then Akamaru.

They were partners in battle but the dog trainer liked it when his partner sustained as little damage as possible. Call it strange if you will, but Kiba preferred that he be beaten to a bloody pulp rather than his own personal ball of white fur. It pained him greatly when the dog had gotten hurt and this situation was no different. Gritting his teeth slowly, the sun kissed skinned boy had looked towards the pink haired girl that had left him partner-less.

"Let's end this, shall we?" He had stated in such a dark and deadpanned voice that the hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight. This was one of the very few moments in her lifetime that Sakura had been truly scared and threatened by Kiba Inuzuka. The one other time that she had been scared positively shitless of him was when he and Akamaru had joined together in their fighting and transformed into a two headed wolf.

Now she had seen some pretty frightening things in her lifetime but that beast was on her list of the top ten, under Naruto in his four tails form. Their Sotoro was something to be feared and she was pretty thankful that they had not pulled that trick on her tonight.

"Yes, lets." The female had purred, bringing her hands together, slender fingers moving quickly as they had created the proper signs in order to trigger the jutsu she was looking to create.

"Chakura no Mesu!" The spitfire had called, hands glowing green suddenly, the mass of chakra turning into blades in her hands. With her Chakra Scalpel she would just need a few hits on him to sever important bodily ligaments and she would render him useless.

The downside to her idea, however, was the fact that using this offensively was very costly on her energy and at the moment she was completely spent from stopping the Fang over Fang attack with her bare hands. She needed to get this over with quickly if she had any hopes of winning this deal.

With speed that the normal eye would not be able to follow, the pair had charged towards each other, attacking back and forth, each putting their all into each and every single hit that they had shared. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours, neither seemed to notice the time that had passed until they had broken apart from their collision, Sakura collapsing on one knee as soon as her feet hit the ground, labored breaths escaping her parted peach tinted lips.

There were scratches all over her body, one very defined claw mark across her chest; her favorite medical uniform was in tatters revealing the creamy skin underneath. The blood that was escaping her gashes was seeping slowly, staining her skin crimson. Rosette tresses were in every wayward direction and she was sure dirt had covered every single inch of her being.

She had no more energy in her body for healing at the moment, not enough to sustain her ninjutsu either. Licking her dry lips slowly, the jade eyed female had spit out the blood that was leaking from the inside of her cheek, glittering irises looking towards Kiba, who looked as in as bad of shape as she was.

The male was panting heavily, dark eyes at half mast as he had looked towards his enemy. One of his arms was lifeless at his side for this _demoness_ had cut the muscle tissue through and through rendering the limb completely useless. There was blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and out of his nose, which was sporting a nice large bruise at the center of it. However, he was standing, he had the strength enough to do that and also dodge the kunai that was heading straight for the center of his forehead.

She really didn't give up even when she was on the ground, did she?

Turning his face to the side, the blade slid across the skin of his cheek, landing in the trunk of a tree behind him with a muffled thud. Bringing his good hand up to his face, the male had touched his jowl, right where his marking should be, finding that blood covered his fingertips.

Everything after that was silent, which Sakura didn't know was a good or a bad thing. It was the sudden blood thirsty growl that had passed the auburn haired male's lips that had made her tense, every muscle and nerve on end. She was pretty sure every critter and creature within a five mile radius had just fled the scene after hearing that howl and for once, instead of remaining where she was and standing her ground, she wanted to follow suit and flee.

"Cutting an Inuzuka's mark…bad choice, Princess." The male had muttered lowly under his breath, disappearing from where he was standing. She couldn't sense him, but what she could sense was that fact that she was no longer kneeling on the ground, now flying through the air.

When had he thrown her?

Her question could not be answered, for a hand had grabbed onto her wrist and tossed her in a different direction, before she was greeted with a swift kick to the ground, landing with a sickening crunch which was followed by a scream of pain, one of which had signified her defeat. Her body collapsed, no more fight left within her. It seemed slightly pathetic for the woman who had taken out Sasori to be defeated by a simple kick, but in that one hit was all the strength that Kiba's anger had fueled.

Taking out his partner was her first mistake and cutting his marking was her second. The coral haired woman had gotten too ahead of herself and had done what Naruto had warned her not to; she underestimated him.

_That_ was how she ended up with Kiba practically laying on top of her, smug expression on his features.

The next scream that echoed into the night of Kohona was the frustrated groan that signaled the victory of Inuzuka Kiba.

* * *

******Ja Mata Ne.  
Nera.**  



End file.
